iOS 5, when it arrives this fall, will sport iMessages. Could it also be a Growl replacement of sorts?

As described by Apple, iMessage is a new messaging service for iOS 5 users. You'll purportedly be able to send unlimited text messages via Wi-Fi or 3G from your iOS device to anyone with an iDevice.

iMessage is built into the Messages app, so you can send text, photos, videos, locations and contacts. You can do group messaging. You can track your messages with delivery receipts and optional read receipts, see when someone's typing and encrypt text messages.

Obviously, iMessages is set to take on Blackberry's BBM. But what about Growl? It's a notification system for Mac OS X that allows applications that support Growl to send you notifications.

Growl is something that has filled a hole in notifications on the Mac for a long time. Will the aforementioned mentioned features be flexible enough to allow developers to replace Growl with them? After all, iOS is a variant of Mac OS X.

If so, perhaps it will be a powerful notification system that will be spread across all of your devices. Perhaps something like Google Voice that will allow you and the developers to decide what apps send you messages and where they send them to you.

-- Dennis Sellers